Enough griping, harness wind energy now

October 10, 2007

At some point the Not In My Back Yard mentality must stop - even for environmentalists. The United States has been exploring options for alternative energy sources for years. Roadblocks have been thrown up by some group or another at virtually every proposed opportunity. Some people don't like ethanol because they believe it is driving up the cost of corn. Some people find problems with solar energy because it is expensive to produce and there are challenges with storage and production. Mention the phrase "nuclear energy" and many people immediately think of the damages caused by spills at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine and at the Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station in Pennsylvania. The list could go on and on - without even mentioning the fact that environmentalists are up in arms about "traditional" energy sources (like oil) too - but we'll wrap it up with wind energy. We have said time and time again that the plains states - the Dakotas in particular - need to tap our potential wind energy resource and work together to increase infrastructure and generation capacity. Many politicians have verbalized support for these sorts of projects to enrich the nation's alternative energy resources. It's a shame that Montana's proposed 500-megawatt GreenHunter wind farm has come under such a firestorm of criticism from environmentalists, of all groups. Environmentalist groups are concerned that the 400-foot wind turbines are too close to an adjacent wilderness area. Translation: They are worried that animals - birds in particular - will be hurt or killed by flying into the turbine blades. While we concede this as a concern, it shouldn't be enough to stop a project or substantially reduce its size. Wind energy is clean. It is a resource that is abundant on the plains and there are companies ready to build here. Enough resistance. Enough excuses. There is always going to be something for someone to complain about when it comes to energy development. Let's take advantage of our clean, renewable resources. Now - before it's too late.